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Synopsis

Sam and the few survivors from the Fist are running south in the middle of night with a heavy snow falling. They are ringed by men with torches to keep the wights away, but Sam is beginning to lag and is near exhaustion. He eventually falls in the snow, and cannot get back on his feet. He recalls the horror that occurred at the Fist, when the wights fell on the Night's Watch. Mormont had commanded him to send ravens with warning, and Sam kept sending them with updates, but when it came time to send a raven with word that their end was near, Sam had already let the birds escape. The Watch held the Fist at first, using fire arrows to hold back the wights. But the dead were relentless and eventually overpowered the Watch, men dying by the score. Mormont had the survivors mount up and form a wedge, slashing past the wights and down off the Fist into the forest. Now they are running for the Wall, pursued by the wights and perhaps the Others.

Grenn tries to get Sam to his feet, but the fat steward is too tired. Finally Small Paul arrives and carries Sam, but the three of them have fallen far behind the survivors with their torches, and the cold sets in. Upon an undead horse, an Other appears from the swirling snow. The being kills Small Paul with its ice sword, but Sam stabs the Other with the dragonglass dagger that Jon gave him. The dagger causes the Other to melt away, body and armor, before Sam and Grenn's eyes. Grenn retrieves the icy cold obsidian dagger, and they once again run off to try and catch up with the other survivors.